HAIR LOSS

Your hair loss may have started with a few extra hairs in the sink or in your comb. But now you can’t look in the mirror without seeing more of your scalp.
Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp and can be the result of heredity, certain medications or an underlying medical condition. Anyone men, women and children can experience hair loss.
Some people prefer to let their baldness run its course untreated and unhidden. Others may cover it up with hairstyles, makeup, hats or scarves. And still others choose one of the medications and surgical procedures that are available to treat hair loss. Before pursuing any of these treatment options, talk with your doctor about the cause of and best possible treatments for your hair loss.

Information On Hair Loss

The major causes of hair loss have to do with circulation, hormonal influences, genetic and nutrition.

Many theories exit as to why people suffer from hair loss.. These hypotheses vary in scope regarding the subject. There is, however, a major consensus in all reasonable hypotheses: deprivation, in some form, to the follicle and scalp. In general, we lean towards the conversation of testosterone into DHT, and the subsequent binding of this molecule to its receptor sites as the primary instigator of hair loss. Most modern medical research sides with this position.
Furthermore, it has been also proved that there is a decrease of glycosamynoglycans in the dermal papilla during hair loss.

Most modern medical research leans towards the position that a hormone called DHT, which is converted from testosterone, bind to sites on hair follicles and is a primary instigator of hair loss.

Hair follicles go through 3 phases of hair production. DHT appears to make the follicle go into their resting phase faster which starts to cause the hairs produced by those follicles to become thinner and thinner with each growth cycle.

DHT is a hormone which is formed by the metabolism of testosterone. Hair follicles in the areas that are to go bald or experience thinning, produce larger amounts of an enzyme which converts testosterone into DHT (testosterone 5-alpha reductase ). Affected hair follicles generally contain a larger number of DHT receptor sites. (A receptor is an arrangement of molecules organized to accept or “bind to” only molecules with a complimentary shape- in this case DHT ).

Each hair follicle produces hair phases. There is a growing phase(Anagen), and resting phase(Telogen), the hair is then shed and the follicle begins pushing a new hair to the surface.

DHT appears to cause follicles to enter their resting phase faster and thus shedding ensues. In male pattern baldness, each successive growing/shedding cycle results in the production of finer and finer hairs being produced by the affected follicles, until the hair never breaks the surface of the skin. Once DHT binds to large numbers of receptors of the hair follicles of the scalp, the follicles are gradually shut down and eventually become dormant.

Hair Life Cycle

This also is linked to Genetics and Hormonal Influences since each hair follicle appears to have a predetermined amount of sites that DHT can attach to. In one study which compared the follicles between hairy and bald human male scalps, the bald scalps had twice as many sites for DHT as their hairy counterparts.

Hair loss is believed to be influenced by genetics. From birth, each of us are programmed with a certain number of hair follicles(roughly 100,000-140,000 on the scalp). In the case of male pattern baldness, it appears that those follicles positioned over the crown and front of the head, the infamous balding horseshoe, are usually sensitive to the male hormones described above. Each follicle appears to have a predetermined amount of DHT receptors. In comparing the follicles between hairy and bald human male scalps, the bald scalps had twice as many receptors as receptors as their hairy counterparts.

Women rarely lose their hair due to genetic predisposition. They do, however, experience hair loss. Consider the thinning hair problems caused by hormonal imbalance and other cyclical shifts, the hair loss experienced during and after pregnancy, trauma caused to hair and scalp by blow-drying, improper combing and brushing, effects of birth control pills, even the results of nervous tension, and also as a side effect of certain medications and treatments.
Frequently women experience hair thinning with harsh commercial shampoos, perms, hair color, bleach, and other cosmetic applications. This condition can be seen as increasingly visible scalp generally or in spots or patches.

There is also another reason for hair loss which is with the Angle of Follicle and Sebum Build-Up.
The angle that the hair comes out of a female allow for the sebum(Oil produced by the scalp) run off while the angle that the hair comes out of the male scalp can lead to oil blockage creating problems for the follicle and hair growth.

Another reasonable theory is that the hair on top of a female head is angled. This allows for the sebum oil to quite literally run off. Male hair grows straight out of the head. This configuration, in addition to the excess sebum and oil produced by glands affected by male hormones, leads to oil blockage which can turn into wax and staunch underlying follicles and hair growth. The end result of this process is a complete bald crown and front with a shiny appearance.

Poor Circulation and Nutrition can also hamper hair growth and in fact of young men diagnosed with male pattern baldness showed that the blood flow to their scalp was 2.6 times lower than in the normal control group.
In many individuals the extremeties, including the top of the head, are the most difficult places for blood to reach. Follicles which are constantly deprived of blood, and therefore nutrients, cannot produce hair properly. Lack of proper nutrients, certain amino acids, minerals and vitamins can also slow down the hair growth procedure.
By recognizing the importance of the prevention of hair loss, especially in its ealier stages, the target for Apollo is men and women between the ages of 18 to 60+, who are already visibly experiencing the onset of thinning hair.

Permanent Hair Loss

There are many causes for hair loss .
You can find information about each causes by clicking on each one !

Male-pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia):

For men, pattern baldness can begin very early, even in the teens or early 20s. It’s typically characterized by a receding hairline at the temples and balding at the top of the head. The end result may be partial or complete baldness.

Female-pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia):

Women with permanent hair loss usually have hair loss limited to thinning at the front, sides or crown. Women usually maintain their frontal hairline and rarely experience complete baldness.

Hair loss usually occurs in small, round, smooth patches about the size of a quarter. Usually the disease doesn’t extend beyond a few bare patches on the scalp, but it can cause patchy hair loss on any area that has hair, including eyebrows, eyelashes and beard. In rare cases, it can progress to cause hair loss over the entire body. If the hair loss includes your entire scalp, the condition is called alopecia totalis. If it involves your whole body, it’s called alopecia universalis. Soreness and itching may precede the hair loss.

Telogen effluvium:

This type of temporary hair loss occurs suddenly. Handfuls of hair may come out when combing or washing your hair or may fall out after gentle tugging. This type of hair loss usually causes overall hair thinning and not bald patches.

Traction alopecia:

Bald patches can occur if you regularly wear certain hairstyles, such as pigtails, braids or cornrows, or if you use tight rollers. Hair loss typically occurs between the rows or at the part where hair is pulled tightly.

Causes your hair goes through a cycle of growth and rest. The course of each cycle varies by individual. But in general, the growth phase of scalp hair, known as anagen, typically lasts two to three years. During this time, your hair grows about 1 centimeter (just less than 1/2 inch) a month. The resting phase is called telogen. This phase typically lasts three to four months. At the end of the resting phase, the hair strand falls out and a new one begins to grow in its place. Once a hair is shed, the growth stage begins again.

Most people normally shed 50 to 100 hairs a day. But with about 100,000 hairs in the scalp, this amount of hair loss shouldn’t cause noticeable thinning of the scalp hair.

Gradual thinning is a normal part of aging. However, hair loss may lead to baldness when the rate of shedding exceeds the rate of re-growth, when new hair is thinner than the hair shed or when hair comes out in patches.

Other causes of hair loss:

Poor nutrition.

Having inadequate protein or iron in your diet or poor nourishment in other ways can cause you to experience hair loss. Fad diets, crash diets and certain illnesses, such as eating disorders, can cause poor nutrition.Medications.

Certain drugs used to treat gout, arthritis, depression, heart problems and high blood pressure may cause hair loss in some people. Taking birth control pills also may result in hair loss for some women.

Disease.

Diabetes and lupus can cause hair loss

Medical treatments.

Undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy may cause you to develop alopecia. Under these conditions, healthy, growing (anagen) hairs can be affected. After your treatment ends, your hair typically begins to regrow

Hormonal changes.

Hormonal changes and imbalances can cause temporary hair loss. This could be due to pregnancy, having a baby, discontinuing birth control pills, beginning menopause, or an overactive or under active thyroid gland. The hair loss may be delayed by three months following a hormonal change, and it’ll take another three months for new hair to grow back. During pregnancy, it’s normal to have thicker, more luxuriant hair. It’s also common to lose more hair than normal about three months after delivery. If a hormonal imbalance is associated with an overproduction of testosterone, there may be a thinning of hair over the crown of the scalp. Correcting hormonal imbalances may stop hair loss.

Hair treatments.

Chemicals used for dying, tinting, bleaching, straightening or permanent waves can cause hair to become damaged and break off if they are overused or used incorrectly. Over styling and excessive brushing also can cause hair to fall out if the hair shaft becomes damaged.

Scalp infection.

Infections, such as ringworm, can invade the hair and skin of your scalp, leading to hair loss. Once infections are treated, hair generally grows back. Ringworm, a fungal infection, can usually be treated with a topical or oral antifungal medication.

Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder).

Trichotillomania is a type of mental illness in which people have an irresistible urge to pull out their hair, whether it’s from their scalp, their eyebrows or other areas of their body. Hair pulling from the scalp often leaves them with patchy bald spots on their head, which they may go to great lengths to disguise. Causes of trichotillomania are still being researched, and no specific cause has yet been found.

Category

Archives

Meta

Apollo

The real secret to Apollo's success is the people. We understand why thinning hair frustrates people as many of us have suffered from thinning and hair loss problems as well. The Apollo difference is in knowing what can be done about it.